VAT is one system across Europe and a different set of habits in every country. The Germans keep their books to SKR03, the Dutch to RGS. Belgium wants invoices over Peppol. Hungary wants each one reported to the tax authority as it’s issued.
The VAT itself works the same everywhere here: charged per line, posted as you finalize, reversed properly on a cross-border purchase. The national parts are there for the country you’re in: switch on the ones you need.
What you can do
- Charge VAT per line, with the tax on each invoice broken down rate by rate.
- Book reverse charge on purchases from other countries, claimed and paid in the same entry.
- Check a customer’s VAT number against the EU’s own register.
- Start from your country’s chart of accounts: SKR03, SKR04 or SKR07 in Germany, RGS in the Netherlands, French GAAP in France.
- Send and receive e-invoices over Peppol, with registration for Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany.
- Take payment by iDEAL and other European methods through Mollie.
- Bring in bank transactions through Ponto’s open-banking feed.
- Use prepayment invoices, and take the advance off the final invoice without taxing it twice.
How it works in practice
Pick your chart once (Settings → Finance → Ledger Accounts). Start from the national scheme your accountant already knows, rather than mapping a generic chart to it at every year end. The automatic postings from invoices, bills and payments land on it the same way they would on any other.
Reverse charge on a purchase. When a supplier in another country bills you without VAT, mark the bill as reverse charge. The entry then claims and pays the VAT at once, so it shows on your return on both sides.
Check the VAT number before the first invoice. Switch on the VAT number check (Settings → Company → Extensions) and a customer’s number is looked up against VIES, the EU register, with the result and the date kept on the customer. In Belgium the check does one more thing: a valid Belgian number switches Peppol on for that customer, with the VAT number as their address on the network.
E-invoicing over Peppol. Register your company once, with your VAT or chamber-of-commerce number, and switch on sending, receiving or both. Invoices and credit notes go out as structured e-invoices, and bills sent to you arrive as bills. Peppol has its own report: what went out, what came in, and how much of it succeeded over the last thirty days.
Country by country:
- Netherlands. The tax return works out what you owe, boxes 5a to 5c. Invoices and customers can also go to e-Boekhouden, if your accountant keeps the books there.
- Belgium. Peppol registration by company number or VAT number.
- Germany and France. Your national chart from day one, and Peppol registration.
- Hungary. Invoices are sent to the NAV online invoice system through the Szamla connector.
Prepayment invoices. Where you invoice an advance first, with VAT on it, switch on the Advance payment row for the document type in its design settings. On the final invoice it takes the prepaid value out of the taxable amount, so the same money isn’t taxed twice. For a customer who simply paid part of an invoice, use Amount paid instead.
Good to know
- The tax return works out the amount payable for Dutch returns. Elsewhere it gives you the figures, and your accountant or your tax portal does the last step.
- Peppol needs a paid plan and your business registered on the network. Each document sent or received uses one Peppol credit, and a send that fails to deliver gives its credit back.
- e-Boekhouden is one way. Invoices and customers go to it; nothing comes back.
- The Hungarian connector reports invoices only. Credit notes aren’t sent through it.
- Mollie and Ponto are your own accounts, on their terms, and both need a paid plan.